Thermolab's BADA2010 heatsink is a slightly quieter
revision of the original BADA heatsink, in all
other respects the two coolers are
basically identical. Frostytech tested the original BADA cooler in 2009 and found it
offered very good performance for its 135mm tall stature. Noise levels peaked at moderate
54 dBA, with the 95mm fan spinning up to about 2800RPM. This time around, the BADA2010
heatsink is equipped with a 95mm PWM that spins at 2100RPM, noise levels top out at a noticeably
quieter 44.3 dBA.

The only other significant difference to the BADA2010
is support for newer Intel processors - Core i5 and Core i3. In other
words, Thermolab have updated a mid-tower heatsink to work on every
modern processor available today.

Although you probably wouldn't
notice at first glance, there isn't a single straight line
on the Thermolab BADA2010 heatsink. Each edge of the aluminum fins is gently curved in one direction or
another. Behind the fan is a small plenum which gradually slopes inward to form
a void behind the fan motor. The rubber vibration absorbing fan mounting
posts are fixed in place, and seem a little tougher than the usual
elastomer picked for the task.

Three 6mm
diameter copper heatpipes broach the aluminum cooling fins every 10mm. This format
distributes heat from the relatively compact exposed heatpipe base to a broader area in the cooling fins. It's
also a direct result of Thermolab engineers balancing the entire upper body of
the BADA2010, including fan, over the CPU.

It's interesting that Thermolab have made the fins on the BADA2010 heatsink so there is less surface area at the top and bottom. Instead the majority of aluminum cooling fins occupy a region roughly 65mm high, 115mm wide at
the center of this cooler.

Mounting Hardware

The
Thermolab BADA2010 heatsink ships with a couple metal brackets that screw onto the
base of the heatsink, accommodating Intel socket LGA775/1155/1156/1366 and AMD socket
AM2/AM3 processors. Both CPU types require machine screws that thread in
from behind the motherboard with a metal backplate for added support. The motherboard may need to
removed from the case to install the BADA2010, which is never fun,
but it's a solid method when complete.

Apart from the mounting brackets, the Thermolab BADA2010 heatsink comes with a syringe
of thermal grease.

FrostyTech's Test Methodologies are outlined in detail
here if you care to know what equipment is used, and the parameters under
which the tests are conducted. Now let's move forward and take a closer look at
this heatsink, its acoustic characteristics, and of course its performance in
the thermal tests!